Mayhew 1

Jordan Mayhew
Professor Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102-P90
8 December 2014
Extended Inquiry Project Research Essay
My initial questions to inquire upon were What is breed specific legislation and
how can we change it? I asked these questions because I currently own two pit bulls. My
oldest is Cali who is 7 years old. Upon initially picking her up to take home with me, I
had fears of the breed myself. She was a little rambunctious and it overwhelmed me at
first. My first confrontation with bringing Cali home was the living restrictions I quickly
became aware of. As Cali grew, so did her playfulness, which intimidated smaller dogs,
who would then nip and growl at her. She kept growing and eventually figured out that
she could nip and growl back. This led to my fear of her and what exactly she was
capable of. I began keeping her at home almost all of the time and rarely allowed her to
socialize. If only I would have realized then the damage I was causing her. Calis social
anxieties grew to the point that I eventually had to hand her over to my dad, where she
would be free to roam his acres of land. This was a difficult choice for me, but I knew she
would be better off, away from so many other dogs that city life introduced to her. I grew
angry with myself for letting the situation get out of my control, thus provoking my
curiosity about pit bulls and other ferocious breeds.
I began my research online and found many rescue groups advocating pit bulls
and how to properly raise them. I quickly learned many things about the many different
pit bull breeds, their attributes, personalities and history. I began watching a TV show

Mayhew 2
called Pit Bulls and Parolees that featured the California based pit bull rescue group that
has since moved to Louisiana. The show provided an inside look into just how many
people cared about these breeds and provided me with insight about their ability to
participate in rehabilitation programs. Cesar Milans show The Dog Whisperer presented
dog rehabilitation to me as well, and provoked my curiosity further. I began to question
human rights infringements and animal abuse that breed specific legislations caused.
It was not until I was watching a movie on Netflix titled Beyond the Myth; a
documentary on pit bulls; that I realized just how serious the breed specific legislations,
or BSL, are and to what degree these laws were affecting people. This documentary
shows a deeper look into the lives of pit bulls and their families. People are losing their
loving, non-stop licking, loyal friends to state legislations that are making immature, false
accusations by assuming every dog of specified breeds will all act the same. The
information I consumed throughout this film infuriated and saddened me. I immediately
knew I had to be the change I wished to see in the world. If Cali and I had been living in
one of these strict BSL cities, because of me, she may not have been around anymore for
me to tell her story.
Here we are four years after I surrendered Cali to my dad. After much education
and prepping on my end, I decided I was finally ready to give it another shot. Because
Cali had already adjusted to her new home in the country and I did not think it was fair to
reintroduce stress into her life, I adopted another pit bull and named her Mia. She is
currently five months old and loving life. I do still live in the city limits. However, I have
been able to provide her with a backyard and huge field across the street that we exercise
her in for several hours a day. She has mastered sit, come, and leave it; we are still

Mayhew 3
working on howdy and stay. The biggest area of my devotion is providing Mia with
enough socialization time with other animals of all genders and sizes. My hope is that she
will be an example for my community and help lead the breed to being respected again; a
far cry from my anxieties and mal-training with Cali.
Breed specific legislation affects more people in the United States than you may
realize. Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own one or more, of the over seventy
seven million dogs in this country. (Schenk, Ragatz, and Fremouw 152) That number is
not too far off from being half of our countrys populace owning a dog. Most Americans
consider their dogs their best friends and treat them like a member of the family. With
that being said there are still over four and a half million dog bites every year, with
almost twenty percent requiring medical attention. (Schenk, Ragatz, and Fremouw 152) If
we love our canine friends so much, why are they hurting us? Are they the problem or are
we?
The significant amount of dog bites per year, has led to the ban of every dog that
falls under a specified breed, in some U.S. cities. Even if that particular dog has no
history of a violent or aggressive behavioral past, they are being taken away from their
owners and most likely, killed. Who says city legislatures have the right to deem a
household pet dangerous, if the animal has never demonstrated violent or aggressive
acts? Because of these breed specific laws, insurance and rental companies are refusing to
rent to or issue homeowners insurance to residents owning one or more of the specified
vicious breeds. (Ragatz, Fremouw, Thomas and Mccoy 699) The breeds deemed
appropriate for this list are based off of a sixteen year old study that calculated the
number of dog bite fatalities over a twenty year span. This study did not present to the

Mayhew 4
public the whys and hows of these dog bite incidents. Was the victim prompting such
acts from the dog, such as teasing, beating, or attacking the dog? Was the dog defending
its home or owner? Was the dog properly cared for previous to the attack?
As previously mentioned, Cesar Milans television series, The Dog Whisperer and
Animal Planets, Pit Bulls and Parolees have been successful at highlighting Americans
concerns with aggressive breeds. The two shows first introduced Americas problem with
breed specific legislation to those who had no idea what it was or the consequences it
could entail. The two shows were successful at educating the public with general
knowledge of some of the banned breeds. These shows were able to show these breeds in
a different light than most Americans were used to. Although these shows are great for
spotlighting the problems and educating viewers about the subject, they really didnt
offer any solutions or alternative methods to change breed specific legislation laws.
I found an article, Have a Dog in the Fight: Rethinking Dangerous Dog Cases
by Sandra Sylvester and Alexander von Fricken, most enlightening. The duo presents a
refreshing outlook on breed specific legislation based on their experience with it in the
courtroom. Sylvester and von Fricken present the idea that ultimately the dog owner
determines whether or not the dog will act violently; by mistreating a dog or not
providing it with a healthy living environment, dog owners are condemning vicious or
aggressive behaviors from their dog. Dog owners need to understand that their actions
usually are the cause of a dog being declared dangerous. (Sylvester and von Fricken 2)
Throughout their article, Sylvester and von Fricken propose effective alternatives to
breed specific legislation, such as an irresponsible dog owner law.

Mayhew 5
Breed specific legislation is not solving the issue of aggressive behaviors in dogs.
It is only discriminating against specific breeds, therefore only adding to the stigma
surrounding them. BSL has not been effective in holding irresponsible dog owners
accountable, for which in most cases, they likely could have prevented or controlled the
dogs aggressive behaviors. Sylvester and von Fricken propose a very do-able solution to
this problem, by holding irresponsible dog owners responsible for a dogs behavior and
actions, more so than the dog itself. Repeat irresponsible dog owners repercussions
should include fines and eventually the loss of their pet. (Sylvester and von Fricken 2)
In the practice of an irresponsible dog ownership law, dog owners and prosecutors
alike must obtain a knowledgeable understanding of canine behaviors. They must also
learn to recognize and properly identify these behaviors. As stated by the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or ASPCA, There is no creditable
evidence that breed determines or predicts dangerousness. (ASPCA 2) As a society, we
need to look at alternative methods to punishing dogs involved in aggressive attacks, and
their owners consequences. Some alternative methods might include:
Requiring the pet caretakers to have a behavioral
assessment of the animal, require obedience training and for the
dog to complete a Canine Good Citizen Program, consider
probation with random and frequent checks to determine if the
caretaker is complying with other statutory requirements, such as
insurance and dangerous dog registry. (Sylvester and von Fricken
5)

Mayhew 6
Through my research, I have found irresponsible dog ownership laws to be the most
effective solution to changing breed specific legislation. As a solution, I believe BSL should be
outlawed and mandates should be established to hold judges accountable for treating every dog
attack case differently, based on the evidence provided. However, dangerous dog laws should be
effective if written to punish those not abiding by the irresponsible dog ownership laws such as;
registering dogs deemed dangerous and their compliance with behavioral training, professional
assessments, or any other precautionary sentence deemed by a court. These laws should never,
ever discriminate against specific breeds. Just like humans, no two dogs are the same. The beliefs
surrounding breed discrimination are the exact same concept as saying all Asians are smart, all
Hispanics have large families, all African Americans like watermelon, all Middle-Easterners
support Osama bin Laden, or that all Caucasians think they are the dominant race.
If irresponsible dog ownership laws, or IDOL, pass or are even brought to the attention of
local governments and communities, they could drastically lower the number of overall dog
attacks in the United States each year. IDOL would prevent dogs from winding up in the wrong
irresponsible hands. By completely doing away with BSL, we would decrease the need for
property management companies to ban certain breeds from dwelling in their residences. IDOL
would encourage responsible dog ownership, thus making for happier K-9s and citizens where
they live.
In general, our society is more educated about these so called aggressive breeds than in
the past, thus fearing them less. However, legislation and local laws regarding these breeds have
not changed. Are the now popular television shows, that portray these breeds in better light,
influencing younger generations regarding the breeds? What will the future hold for citizens and

Mayhew 7
aggressive dogs living together? If this general consensus is true, why then has BSL not been
banned itself?
In concluding this chapter of my inquiry, I am still left wondering if there is a link
between aggressive and dangerous breeds and the personalities of their owners, or if certain
personality types arent a good combination for dog ownership. In the two previously mentioned
studies led by Laurie Ragatz, we get a sense for the answers to these questions, but quickly
realize through the skewed limitations and implications of the study that further testing must be
done to accurately acquire results. (Ragatz, Fremouw, Thomas and Mccoy 703 and Schenk,
Ragatz, and Fremouw 158) In my future inquiry, I desire to lead a study myself that eliminates
most of the variables for why Ragatzs was proven insufficient, and hopefully present my
findings in combination with suggestions for future laws, to my local legislation.

Mayhew 8
Works Cited

Campbell, Dana M. "Pit Bull Bans: The State Of Breed-Specific Legislation." Gpsolo 26.5
(2009): 36-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
"Position Statement on Dangerous Dog Laws." ASPCA. ASPCA. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Ragatz, Laurie, William Fremouw, Tracy Thomas, and Katrina McCoy. "Vicious Dogs: The
Antisocial Behaviors and Psychological Characteristics of Owners." Journal of Forensic
Sciences 54.3 (2009): 699-703. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Schenk, Allison M., Laurie L. Ragatz, and William J. Fremouw. "Vicious Dogs Part 2: Criminal
Thinking, Callousness, and Personality Styles of Their Owners." Journal of Forensic
Sciences 57.1 (2012): 152-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Sylvester, Sandra R., and Alexander G. von Fricken. "Have a Dog in the Fight: Re-thinking
Dangerous Dog Cases." Tales of Justice 2.2 (2012): 1-6. Print.

Mayhew 9
Reflection
My WRC mentor and I mostly worked on minor grammatical errors during our meeting. I
corrected these errors as well as restructured a few run on sentences. I introduced the acronyms
for both Irresponsible Dog Owner Laws and Breed Specific Legislations before using them again
throughout my paper. I modified my citations and added a block quote where suggested.